


suck the fun out of this

by slythos



Series: fear, fearless [1]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: 97z shenanigans but its actually just seokgyu being very dumb, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Struggles of Dating a Not-so-Vampire Vampire!, by Kim Mingyu, mentions of blood bc well, the horniness is accidental i swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:02:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25103629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slythos/pseuds/slythos
Summary: The point is Xu Minghao is a vampire. And Kim Mingyu,oh Kim Mingyu, doesn't exactly know how to date vampires and to remedy this he conducts research, but not alone. So begins the long and winding journey of Kim Mingyu featuring Lee Seokmin as they try to figure out exactlyhow the fuckdo vampires work.
Relationships: Kim Mingyu & Lee Seokmin | DK & Xu Ming Hao | The8, Kim Mingyu/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Series: fear, fearless [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1818142
Comments: 15
Kudos: 100





	suck the fun out of this

**Author's Note:**

> this fic was brought to you by an idea that was meant to be a fear exchange prompt submission which i ended up writing myself bc i was looking for smth fun to write hehe i don't know if it's ~actually~ fun though, let me know!
> 
> i'm not a fan of the trope btw, so forgive me if i get very basic lore mixed up lmao i just used them arbitrarily also i'm so sorry for all the bad jokes but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ am i rly

Xu Minghao has always been upfront about his vampirism, but at the same time, the man knows how to time well. He cleverly doesn't tell Mingyu about it until he's certain that he's fallen crazy in love with him enough not to get scared off.

Mingyu feels like he knows Minghao already too damn well too, despite being acquainted for only half a year during their photoshoots in Japan and all the moments in between. Mingyu was sure he'd never had this much fun while he's working, but then again, he hadn't worked with Minghao before. He is something else, different than any other photographers he worked with in the past. He could never imagine someone to have such radical takes on aesthetics and make it work in the film without going overboard. He has a good eye for style, for angles, for beauty, that more often than not, Mingyu finds himself nodding along to his stylistic choices on set. With respect comes silent admiration and with that comes Mingyu's reflexive drive to catch attention different than those of the cameras already on him. 

It's safe to say Mingyu succeeded in that respect. 

It's not the most professional thing to happen between a model and a photographer, but not entirely distasteful when the feeling goes both ways. On-set, they're professionals bustling around professionally but off-set, Mingyu takes Minghao out to a few dinners under the guise of business discussions that dissipate five minutes into the talk and swerve into some other unrelated topics like _how many dogs have you kept,_ and _oh, you're into photography too? That's nice, what's your favorite camera to use?_ and that very forward _Chef as an alternative career, that's hot. Oh, nothing._ Plus a couple more thinly-disguised street photoshoots where the pictures they took are far too casual for magazine and anywhere else other than their camera rolls, with an atmosphere so intimate they look like a pair of tourist fashionista boyfriends traversing through the atmospheric, foreign streets of Japan. 

At that time, he gets to see a sleek Xu Minghao, like a slippery amphibian: versatile, adapting. (And cute, because he confessed to liking Kermit the frog before. Frogs in general.) So smooth with his subtle advances, and so fascinating with his entirety; mullets, and craft and all, it's simply impossible to scare Mingyu off at this point with his eye already on an enticing prize. 

So when he tells him, "I'm a vampire," one night before their very first kiss under a cherry blossom tree, it only takes Mingyu aback for a couple of minutes, thinking maybe this was an excuse to slip out of his arms and reject Mingyu's advances to his face. But there wasn't a clear sign of discomfort, Mingyu had asked if he could hold him around the waist and Minghao had said yes, so _why_ is he telling him he's a vampire now? 

Wait...

"What?" is Mingyu's question, in case he heard him wrong. In case all the wax build-up in his ears has finally cost him his pristine hearing, and possibly social and romantic cues. 

"I'm a vampire," is Minghao's resolute answer in a louder voice, still looking so small inside Mingyu's arms and his hand gripping him a little tighter now. When Mingyu blinks in question, Minghao holds his breath, "like with fangs and blood and everything." 

Okay, that doesn't help. His arms fall slack and Minghao smiles because that is understandable _,_ he needs a moment to think it through. With fangs and blood and everything? Surely there's a lot less mindfucking way to reject someone. Mingyu feels progressively confused as the awkward silence grows until Minghao flashes him his incisors and slit eyes under the moonlight. Incisors and a light shade of gold that isn't there before. Incisors and eyes that aren't _human._

 _Oh,_ that _vampire._ It's a stupid bubble of thought but after it pops, horror slowly creeps in its place, stealing him of coherence. 

But at the same time, it doesn't sound like rejection. 

When Mingyu doesn't speak, "I get it," Minghao says, taking a couple of steps back, golden eyes still pulsing in the dark. "This is a lot to take in. You don't have to do anything." 

This _is_ a lot to take in, but only because Mingyu's mind is running at full speed, way up ahead. Way past the topic he should be fully digesting now. It's just Minghao standing there, with incisors, _sure._ Inhuman, sure. But Minghao.

Xu Minghao all the same. 

"It's okay," Minghao reassures again, regret thick in his voice, hands waving. "I have the power to erase this memory. I can just do that so you wouldn't be plagued with it forever. You don't have to be scared." 

Mingyu scoffs, glossing over the fact that Minghao has a creepy memory-erasing power in favor of his pride. His breath fogs the fake glasses he's wearing. They always seemed to catch more fog and fingerprints and dirt than real ones.

 _Scared, ha._ "You think I'm not going to do anything after you told me that?" he says, daring a step forward. 

And another, and another step forward until they're as close as they were before he learns of Minghao revealed his true nature. The vampire looks mildly guarded, only mildly despite how Mingyu towers over him, eyes following his every move with an edge that can cut through Mingyu's soul more than it already can, and with every step he takes, Mingyu hopes to convey he doesn't mind all of it. Minghao doesn't falter at the proximity. After all, he's the real threat here as the more dangerous creature between the two. He could easily snap Mingyu's neck if he wants to, or render him immobile and suck his person _dry_ until there's nothing left of him but wrinkled flesh and—

Mingyu should've run away. But Minghao, _Xu Minghao_ and that dainty little smile at the corner of his lips, certainly knows how to time. 

"Vampire or not," The atmosphere feels laughably similar to a k-drama and Mingyu resists the urge to curl in on himself as he stares into Minghao's hungry eyes. "You're still you, aren't you? Why should I be scared?"

Props to Mingyu, that is the coolest thing he had ever said to someone in his life. 

Minghao the Vampire doesn't suck him dry that night. 

Um, well. Not that way. 

The point is Xu Minghao is a vampire. And Kim Mingyu, _oh Kim Mingyu_ , doesn't exactly know how to date vampires and to remedy this he conducts, but not alone. So begins the long and winding journey of Kim Mingyu featuring Lee Seokmin as they try to figure out exactly _how the fuck_ do vampires work. 

"So, Xu Minghao is a vampire," Seokmin spells out, poking his chopsticks in the air deep in thought. Mingyu leans away so they don't poke him in the eyes. Then, Seokmin drops his hands on the table dramatically. "He's a vampire and you're not freaking out?!"

The other customers in the barbecue place glance over towards their direction briefly. Seokmin apologetically smiles at them, so does Mingyu, mumbling the excuse, _"He told me a spoiler to a vampire movie haha."_

Oh. Yeah, he should, shouldn't he? Mingyu shrugs. "That's exactly it, he doesn't look the part. He looks like us, like... ordinary." When Seokmin butts in, _"what_ does _a vampire suppose to look like,"_ he gives him another shrug. 

"I envy your mental strength." Seokmin shakes his head. "If he said that to me just as I was about to kiss him, I would've decked him on the spot." 

"And provoke the vampire?"

"Deck him _real_ hard he passes out _._ Pass me over some meat." 

Mingyu dumps a lot on his plate. He would _never_ deck Minghao for anything. He's not even sure he could manage to. Mingyu looks physically stronger between the both of them given his build but if Minghao's vampirism means anything, he might have some supernatural strength hidden under that lean body of his. _Maybe?_

"Ah, but vampires... don't they get burned under the sun or something?"

"Right?" Mingyu reaches over to pluck a lump of burnt meat from Seokmin's plate, the thing he failed to notice until it's too late, and shoves it in his mouth. "But he doesn't. I mean, I don't know how it works. I only know three things about vampires. One," he holds up three fingers and puts down one as he goes, "they drink blood. Two, they burn under the sun. Three, they sleep in coffins. Minghao doesn't do any of those." 

Mingyu checked for coffins the first time he went over Minghao's apartment. No coffins, just a queen-sized bed with immaculate beddings staring back at him when he sneakily peeks into Minghao's bedroom. No coffins in the other rooms too. (At some point, Minghao had caught him snooping about but if he found that weird, he didn't say. What he said instead was, "My room looks nice, no?" Minghao had asked during their meal with an elfish smile, and Mingyu almost choked. "The bed's new. Want to break it in?"

And break it in, they did.) 

In retrospect, Mingyu's not sure how to feel about finding coffin in his boyfriend's home though. On one hand, the presence of a coffin would make him easier to figure out, would make it easier to grasp the very fact of the nature of his existence, but at the same time, he's not sure how to feel about _a coffin_ in general. It's a relief in a way, but it didn't help with his ignorance at all. 

"Wait, isn't their weakness fire? They're flammable, so he maybe he can't cook?"

Okay, maybe asking Seokmin to brainstorm with him _is_ a good idea after all. He's certainly never thought of that. Mingyu remembers all the times he sits with his chin on his hands and legs swinging under the table, admiring Minghao's back as he bustles around in the kitchen, oil sizzling, and soup boiling, the aroma engulfing him from the inside out. He sighs, eyes dreamy. "Oh, Minghao cooks _really_ well." 

Seokmin gags loudly. Mingyu juts his bottom lip at him.

"Okay, garlic?"

"Chops cloves like a pro."

"Shit. That's hard. Are you sure he's a vampire?"

Mingyu swallows and opens his mouth, gesturing at his canines and making vague hand gestures for the word "long". "Like really freakishly long teeth. _Fangs._ He has those, he showed me. And red eyes."

"Ah." Seokmin shivers. Mingyu amends it by hurriedly saying he's not that bad and he doesn't show all of those often to him. Seokmin doesn't seem convinced. "But how can a vampire not drink blood? Make it make sense." 

"I _haven't seen_ him drink blood in front of me. In all those times we were together." 

Blood is something Mingyu isn't sure of and still a subject of his future experimentation. There's a list of what he wants to know about it. It's the first thing he asked Minghao about though, albeit in a very untimely situation, just as he was about to climax during their first night and well when you're balls deep inside your boyfriend, things were easy to misunderstand. ("Blood," Mingyu breathed, his eyes and head spinning from the combined lust and euphoria of every jolt in his body as he rammed into Minghao, "Do you... _ah,_ blood?"

"No, no blood," Minghao replied just as hazily, just as lustfully, reaching behind him to find Mingyu's hand and put it around his cock. "You're so good, _no blood."_ He then proceeded to successfully dirty-talk Mingyu out of his worries and into coming.) 

He's ashamed to bring it up ever since so he decides the blood matter was permanently inconclusive until Minghao brings it up himself, which he hasn't so far. But the foundation of one's vampirism is bloodlust, isn't it? There's not much room to doubt that, other than the mechanics that don't follow the traditional, or at least, what's culturally-known. 

"Why don't you just ask him about that stuff, that would be easier." Seokmin is not usually the voice of reason between the two, but Mingyu couldn't deny the sense he's bringing to the table right now. 

But alas, his pride is steep and his hunger for knowledge instinctive, "I'm going to figure it out. I'll make a trip out of it," are words he doesn't think he'd regret a few days later, "I'll figure it out on my own." 

Seokmin raises his brows. "Oh, good. Good luck with that."

" _Our own._ We'll figure it out on our own." Mingyu gestures for the two of them. "You and me."

"Yeah, yeah." Seokmin scowls at his meat. "So this wasn't for free. _Ah."_

Seokmin has never met Minghao before, so in his logic, it makes sense to utilize that tactic first. Have Minghao invite Seokmin over for dinner at his apartment in the hopes of picking up clues and things Mingyu might've missed the first time around. He argues there's nothing more to pick up from his place, besides maybe how it reflects Minghao's overall tidiness and general inclination for finespun luxuries such as the plastic orchids and fairy lights decorating the little corners of his apartment dedicated to his artworks, and maybe that would allure Seokmin to some degree and stir him away from his mental image of "Mingyu's Fang-y, Red-eyed Vampire Boyfriend." (Which was admittedly, Mingyu's fault in the first place, introducing his boyfriend to his best friend that way.)

"Don't worry, I'm a keen observer. I gotcha." This coming from the guy who almost tripped down a flight of stairs after missing a step from laughing too much is not exactly reassuring but he's nothing if not persistent.

Based on Seokmin's loud and uninhibited, "Uwahh, that looks so cool! So good! You did this?" it's safe to say Minghao has gotten his thumbs-up. (Seokmin flashes him a physical one and an awed face behind his boyfriend's back, Mingyu feels his lips ripping from smiling so wide.)

Dinner is Chinese cuisine much to Seokmin's delight with a few Korean dishes Minghao took pride in making himself with Mingyu's minimal assistance. He's not gonna lie, he had preemptively worried about Seokmin's mouth scaring off his boyfriend instead of the other way around, but as it stands, his best friend's inherent general sunny vibes easily magnetize Minghao straight into a degree of closeness that shouldn't exist between people in less than two hours after they met. They even manage to gang up against Mingyu halfway through dinner. 

"Oh yeah, he thinks like he's the cutest being alive," Seokmin supplies, feeding into Minghao's bubbles of laughter as he recounts Mingyu's unfortunate high school experiences with him. "He even fell into the mud on purpose the second time just so people can coo at how cute he is. Ah, what a narcissistic prick."

Mingyu purses his lips that are threatening a smile and a grimace at once when the two burst into good-humored laughter and Minghao tucks him forcefully into his side, digging his fingers into his hair softly. He's the butt of the jokes that night, possibly the first of so many nights to come, but at least the two of them are having fun. 

It's around eleven when the two finally let Seokmin go when they couldn't insist on his staying for the night. 

"Ah, I have classes early tomorrow. Preschool." Seokmin pouts, genuinely bummed. Minghao looks impressed. "It's halfway across the city. Maybe some other time? Let's go camping!" 

"Camping sounds nice." Minghao is grinning, glancing at Mingyu with cutesy, slightly coaxing eyes. "We'll go."

He can't say no to that. 

> **[MINGYU]  
>  12:15 am  
> **
> 
> well?
> 
> anything?

> **[SEOKMINNIE]  
>  12:24 am**
> 
> what anything?
> 
> OH, yea man i like this minghao guy
> 
> can't wait to bully you again with him <3
> 
> also i alrdy have his number, u don't have to send anythign to me. 

> **[MINGYU]  
>  12:25 am**
> 
> seokmin

> **[SEOKMINNIE]  
>  12:31 am**
> 
> what 

Great. _Keen observer, my ass. I gotcha, my ass._ Put something shiny in front of Seokmin and you can leave him alone with that for the rest of the day. Mingyu has a sinking feeling that the long list of "something shiny" things might just include Minghao soon. 

Time for Plan B.

Plan B's principle is: nothing can go wrong with pop culture. Or maybe everything, but he'll take his chances _._ Knowledge can come from the strangest places, after all. Since Minghao clearly doesn't operate the way your standard Dracula does, they have to get creative about research. 

But what could go wrong by starting with the classics? 

"This sucks," Seokmin says, arms crossed over his chest as he pouts at the TV. "I wanted to watch a rom-com."

"Well, too bad," Mingyu replies, flopping down beside him and flipping through Netflix. "We're watching _Dracula_."

Seokmin glares at the screen flashing _2019 Dracula._ "Dracula sucks, too."

"You've seen it before?"

"No. But he's a vampire so..."

Mingyu looks at Seokmin at the same time Seokmin looks at him, then they both burst into laughter. Seokmin hangs his right leg over Mingyu's left, letting his torso rest comfortably against him, his gaze towards the screen softening as the first episode starts. Mingyu gives him his small bowl of popcorn and cradles his own close to his chest. They've long since accepted the fact they can never peacefully share a popcorn bowl without clawing each other's eyes out so they've always prepared two bowls every movie night. This one is hosted by Mingyu, which means Mingyu gets to pick the movie and the bowls get generously filled to the brim. Seokmin needs to sit through it no matter what movie he puts on, and he might not always like Mingyu's movie taste in general but at least he's got a whole buttered popcorn feast sitting on his chest. 

Seokmin says after a few seconds of silence, "Why do you have to date a vampire, it's a pain in the neck."

Mingyu lets out the ugliest snort ever, he almost choked on a kernel. "No. Stop."

"Does he suck good?"

Mingyu tackles him, and by the time they're done going for each other's throats, they're picking half the contents of their bowls off the couch. _Dracula_ plays solemnly on the screen, and for a moment, the world knows peace save for a few random and offhand comments about Dracula's questionable styling and the set's decidedly poor lighting. From out of the blue, a pair of arms slide down Mingyu's chest and he screams bloody murder, making Seokmin overlap his screaming with a louder and a higher-pitched one of his own. 

They don't stop screaming until Minghao covers both of their mouths with incredible force, flinching and gritting his teeth as if that would halt the noise altogether. 

That's Minghao. Oh, Mingyu gave him a key to his apartment. 

Seokmin says something like, "It's Minghao" muffled against his boyfriend's hand. 

"It is." Minghao smiles shyly. "Sorry I scared you." 

"Wah! I thought I was gonna have a heart attack!" Seokmin deflates onto the headrest, massaging his chest. 

Mingyu's sigh of relief gets caught in his throat as Minghao swoops down to give him a peck on the lips. He rests his chin on the headrest, finger wiggling excitedly under it. He levels his eyes with Mingyu's and gives him the tiniest teasing look. "What a loud scream."

"Shut up." Mingyu rolls his eyes at him. "I didn't even hear you come in."

"I got in all ninja-like," Minghao replies, standing upright and nodding at the TV. "What are you guys watching?"

As if shaken by an invisible shot of electricity, Mingyu jerks up and dives to the remote, flipping the TV off in a blink of an eye. He sees Seokmin bulge his eyes comically at him, given how his face is completely out of Minghao's line of vision so he doesn't seem him panicking. Sadly, the same couldn't be said about Mingyu.

Mingyu has always taken pride in his excellent ability to think on his feet. But exactly how would you tell your vampire boyfriend you're watching a TV show about vampires without it sounding weirdly offensive or just straight-up weird? "Um, uh, we were watching... uh..."

Seokmin supplies helpfully. "...porn."

Actually _yeah,_ Mingyu can work with that. " _Food_ porn," Mingyu says confidently, grinning at his boyfriend. 

Minghao already has his brow raised. "Food porn."

"Yeah, yeah, where the food does... the uh... the do..." Seokmin scrambles, sending him _insane_ eye panicking twitches and daggers as if it was _he_ who said the wrong stuff in the first place.

Mingyu narrows his eyes at his best friend. "Where there's _a lot of delicious_ _food."_

Does this guy _even_ know what _food porn is?_

"Hmm." Minghao nods quietly, looking back and forth between the two of them. "You didn't want me to see the food so you turned it off?" 

Seokmin shoots up and takes his place at Mingyu's side, his face deceptively lax and humorous than it was before. "Yeah, it got too hot and heavy for our taste so..."

Mingyu mentally facepalms himself. _Hard._

Minghao cracks a fond smile, which may be a smile he only gives to Seokmin and nods. "Okay. Do you guys want to eat anything else other than popcorn? I can fix you up some dinner." 

_Yes, yes, that'd be great, thank you! There's everything in the kitchen feel free to use them. Minghao, you're the best! I love you!_ Both choruses in varying words of agreement and a mix of other things after Minghao as he chuckles and makes his way to the kitchen. Mingyu gives Seokmin a dirty look because that "I love you" isn't from him.

"What?" Seokmin makes a challenging face. "We can share him. I love him too, he feeds me." 

Seokmin prances after Minghao into the kitchen and calls his name in a singsong voice. Mingyu sighs and gives his TV screen a dejected look. Well, no research for tonight. 

They end up helping Minghao out and eating dinner in front of the TV that now plays _Hospital Playlist_ in low volume as per Minghao's request. 

"I put this one on as background noise whenever I'm cleaning at home," Minghao says in fixed concentration. "But I think it's good. A little mundane, but good. I like Ikjun a lot."

Of course, he does. Mingyu is even willing to bet it's because he reminds him of one person he knows in real life. 

"Oh, I like Ikjun too!" Both of them high-fives over Mingyu's face, being the unfortunate one who is caught in the middle of both of them with no _Hospital Playlist_ knowledge to contribute whatsoever, eating his food silently. "Uju is the cutest in the whole freaking world." 

In between the lighthearted chats Mingyu is being heartlessly excluded from, Seokmin manages to lean discreetly at him, his breath and voice hot and low against his ear, it prickles, "Minghao is not flammable, confirmed" and gives him a cocksure thumbs up with it. He also makes vague fire gestures with his hand "Not scared of fire at all" and then shakes his head aggressively. Minghao must've caught the action because Seokmin changes his expression immediately into one of his sunny smiles, nodding at Minghao over his shoulder. 

Two episodes in, Mingyu finds himself strangely invested in the people wearing hospital gowns despite the sluggish pace of the slice-of-life show (which he learns what it's called from Minghao who offhandedly mentions it during dinner), specifically the Ikjun guy they're talking about earlier. He might've developed a fixation on him through osmosis but somehow, the fact that he's a single dad with a really cute kid adds up a lot to his charm. 

Two episodes and a half in, Seokmin decides he's so much more interested in Mingyu's shoulder than he is on the show because he's snoring silently on it, arms crossed over his shoulder and legs spread out with a child's abandon. Minghao finds this adorable, as he does everything Seokmin does, so he snaps a quick picture of them on the couch, to which Mingyu poses to with a peace sign, then another picture of the three of them. His phone later pings with a notification from his boyfriend with the pictures attached. 

Minghao resettles in his seat, glancing at Mingyu when he catches him staring at him unfalteringly. "What?" he asks softly. 

Mingyu smiles in lieu of a reply and takes Minghao's hand into his own, softly, delicately knotting one finger to another, dipping his lips to pepper the back of Minghao's hand with butterfly kisses. Afterward, Minghao takes him into an open-mouthed kiss, a hand frames his chin, and another finding purchase on his brown locks. They kiss carefully and silently, Seokmin's still fast asleep on Mingyu's shoulder after all, but no less sweet and passionate and magnetic as usual. Minghao is flushed warm against him, too warm to be the cold-blooded vampire legends tell them about, too real to be a legend himself. Minghao hoists his legs up to crouch on the sofa, holding Mingyu's head against his, sifting his hand through his hair. Minghao plays with it a lot, like playing with it he notices and Mingyu finds himself melting into the touch, leaning into Minghao's head, wanting to slip off his skin and just fuse with him completely. His hand leaves Mingyu's head to reach into Seokmin's, picking up one strand after another.

A lot of things may not make sense about Minghao but this—huddled up with Mingyu's favorite people in the world—does. Completely. 

"Mingyu."

"Hmm?" Mingyu hazily replies, too cozy in the tangle for any solid words. "Can I be in the next movie night too?"

Mingyu chuckles under his breath, _how can this guy ask something so silly._ "You don't have to ask."

"You guys like buttered popcorn, right?"

"Yeah." Mingyu kisses his head, strokes the straight tufts of hair sticking out in his nape, and decides he likes the mullet a lot. "Yeah, we do."

"Great," Minghao chirps. "Next week then? My place? What are you up to this week?"

"Sounds good. I have photoshoots this week," Mingyu replies. "I suppose you know Jeon Wonwoo?"

"I've seen his work. But isn't he more of a landscape photographer?" 

"He is. We're going to Gyeongju on Tuesday. Garden photoshoot." 

Minghao bobs his head, taking mental notes. "What about Seokmin?"

"He's usually busy on the weekdays in the preschool. Maybe you can drop by sometime, after your own photoshoots?"

"I don't have any this week. So I'll do that." Minghao smiles. "I should bring packs of candies for a whole class, what do you think?"

"Double it." Mingyu chuckles. "Seokmin likes candies too." 

The next couple of attempts to test Vampire myths on Minghao has only bloomed a couple of other non-vampire-related facts about Xu Minghao.

Fact #1. The guy _loves_ kids. A lot. _A lot._

A fact Mingyu deeply regrets not being able to witness personally when Seokmin generously shares a video of him reading a children's book to the kids in Seokmin's class. Mingyu's in the middle of his photoshoot break when he decides to open the video, _bad decision,_ because now, as stylists flock over him, giving him stink-eyes for shoving his nose on his phone, he couldn't stop his _tender fucking_ _heart_ from yearning. 

Seokmin's face takes up the entire frame of the video, drowning Mingyu's eyes with his comical teary-eyes and heart-wrenched expression as he whispers into the screen how his heart is about to burst because of this. 

"You know Jisung from my class, right? The little, adorably big-headed kid?" Seokmin recounts, eyes big and bottom lip slightly quivering. "Jisung showed Minghao a boo-boo and Minghao hugged him really tightly, the kid burst into tears! Kids can feel genuine love, okay! He's like... he's crying really hard because he said nobody has hugged him that tightly and nicely before. I could feel my heart ripping off my chest, seriously." Seokmin covers his mouth, and oh _god,_ he really looks like he's about to cry. "If you could see it right now. Minghao is treating Jisung's boo-boo and everything." 

The video shows Jisung the way Mingyu remembers him to be: sweet kid, cute bowl-cut, a little sharp on the tongue, and incredibly witty for his age, sitting down at the bottom of the slide with Minghao hunched in front of him, tending to his boo-bo— _injury._ After that, Minghao scoops the kid in his arms and walks to Seokmin, waving. The tight hold Jisung has around Minghao's neck pinches Mingyu's heart all over, he has to momentarily peel his eyes off the screen and tilt his chin to the sky. 

"Mr. Kim? Are you okay?" his make-up artist asks him as she dabs moisture-absorbent tissues on his face. 

Mingyu sniffles. "Oh, yes. I'm fine." 

When Mingyu looks again, Jisung's kisses and Minghao's high-pitched giggles punch him straight in the face he has to look up to the sky again. 

"Mr. Kim Mingyu, thirty seconds!"

If he has thirty seconds left to live, he would gladly spend the remainder of his lifetime replaying this video over and over again. 

Fact #2. This one's slightly vampire-related: The man has no problem wearing silver and crosses. 

Mingyu knows this after he asks him about his religion, prompted by his specific choice of accessories when they go out for a quick stroll. ("Which should mean asking him about _his being a vampire_ will just be as easy, shouldn't it?" Seokmin berates him when he tells him this.)

"Does wearing crosses have to mean you're religious?" Minghao says thoughtfully. "I didn't know that."

"Not necessarily. I just want to know if you have something you believe in." Mingyu doesn't want to stray this conversation away from the point. 

"I don't have one as of now," Minghao says, sipping on the milk tea he holds with one hand, the other hooked inside Mingyu's trench coat as they stroll around the park side by side. The same goes for Mingyu's one hand, only the other is hooked around Minghao's arm. Although he tries hard not to acknowledge it, they're both getting quite some attention from a few people around even despite dark sunglasses and masks. 

("It's the model vibes from you two," Seokmin reasons. "Intimidating vibes, like have you seen how both of you walk down the street? No? Then, watch a freaking runway. That's how."

Mingyu is positive it's more Minghao, with his one silver infinity earring hanging down his ear and silver cross around his neck, the man has good taste. 

Mingyu took his boyfriend to the latest Seoul Fashion Week and people flocked more around Xu Minghao who looked more fashionable than the actual model himself. It also didn't help that they came out as a couple in that event. Besides the interview-hungry press people, there's also a couple of brand representatives who sought Minghao's attention. Barely a few had succeeded, except an expensive-looking Chinese man in red-tinted glasses, a leather outer coat with trims along the expanse that resemble those of a bird's feathers. Around his middle to pinky fingers on both hands are red glove-like articles that glint the same shade of red as his glasses. He wore a glossy red top under the coat. Mingyu couldn't tell if it was just all the red in his outfit or were his eyes sport a shade a red as well. 

It might've been some contacts. It might've been not.

Minghao had paled a little when he saw him. He also did something he hadn't done all night: he squeezed Mingyu's hand softly before leaving his side to talk to him. Mingyu observed from the side that night, a flashy smile ready for the cameras and journalists that approach him but with one eye on his boyfriend. 

They didn't talk for long. When Mingyu asked who that was, Minghao had an answer ready, "Cai Xukun. It's fine. He's fine."

The Cai Xukun person made sure to meet Mingyu's eyes before curtly bowing and disappearing into the crowd.

He had red eyes. 

"Everything okay?" he asked Minghao.

His boyfriend had tilted his head in confusion, "Why wouldn't it be okay?)

Looking at Minghao now: wearing a dark suit underneath his brown parka, splattered with paint around the cuffs, it looks vaguely like Cai Xukun's outfit from the event. He thinks the splatter effect is an odd choice of personal addition to the outfit, but interesting nonetheless. As the relationship grows, Mingyu finds himself disagreeing to a lot of Minghao's fashion choices as opposed to the very early days of the courtship as he peels off layers of his boyfriend's turbulent sense of style, but they always end up somehow looking better than Mingyu imagined so he has learned to give Minghao more credit once again. 

Plus the other infinity earring hanging down the frame of Mingyu's sunglasses only got less annoying as time passes by, so that's not a bad idea at all. 

"But I might in the future, I don't know, I might want to believe in one," Minghao adds, pulling up his mask as he finishes the last of his drink. "What about you?" 

Mingyu shrugs. He's thought about it a few times in the past. Seokmin and Joshua, another close friend of his, are Christians and sing for a church near their place and he's attended a few services with them before. It's an uplifting experience he's not going to lie, he could understand the appeal of it and the hopeful feeling that lingers on people even as they leave the vicinity. He's just that not big into putting faith in a divine being because he finds it hard to believe there's even one in the first place. He's hardly ever believed in anything that isn't deeply rooted in his everyday reality before, until his vampire boyfriend Minghao.

His vampire boyfriend who doesn't have a problem with silver, by the way. 

The things they do with a silver handcuffs later that night add further proof to that.

("Oh eww, no." Seokmin gags, and gags some more. "I don't want to know, Kim Mingyu, fuck shut up!"

Mingyu throws his head back, guffawing.) 

Fact #3. Minghao may or may not like Seokmin more than Mingyu.

Because when caught in a choice between Seokmin's camping and Mingyu's amusement park for weekend plans, Minghao doesn't even blink when he picks camping.

The two hug it off to one side, cheek against cheek, reveling in pleasure as they both stare down Mingyu who's been cast off to the other side. He's sulky the entire time they prepare for the trip, putting on a childish pout even as he hauls stuff from Seokmin's house to the car they're taking. 

"Look at this big baby." Seokmin slaps his backside, causing him to bump against the tent he's holding. 

"Hey, that hurts!" 

"You think you can handle the amusement park rides? I can't risk you passing out on us!" Seokmin frowns, passing him by. "Where's the fun in a weekend plan when your best friend keeps passing out, ah. You're smart, Kim Mingyu but not smart enough. And for that, shotgun!"

Mingyu's jaw drops. Minghao jogs past him, holding up the keys. "I'm driving!"

He stops halfway inside the driver's seat and raises a brow at him. "Passes out in rides, huh?"

"Yeah, he can't handle air pressure," quips Seokmin from the shotgun seat. 

But he's not going to expound on that, the point is—

—they're not getting any closer to figuring out how Xu Minghao functions as a vampire. 

"Desperate situations call for desperate measures," Seokmin declares in a loud authoritative voice, and sighs in defeat dramatically, "I didn't think we'd be desperate enough for this but, ah, we have to resort to books."

Mingyu is right to preemptively put a small gap between his phone and ear for the sake of his auditory system. "Books?"

"Yes, _books_. I did some research and I suggest this book series called _Twilight,"_ Seokmin says over the phone. "I hear it's good. Buy the entire book series so I can borrow some and read them to my radio listeners." 

That's not what Mingyu can see from the online reviews, nonetheless, he heads out to the bookstore and empties his wallet for the purchase of the entire series, hoping he'd like it enough not to regret this decision soon. Yeah, wishful thinking. For a few nights, he resigns himself to this painful ordeal of burying his nose in the first book, cringing every few pages _because why the fuck is everyone in this book so fucking creepy,_ and threatening to drop it entirely a couple of times before barely making it through. He collapses on his bed when he finally does, groaning into his sheets and his fingers typing spitefully across his screen, _where the hell did you get that dumbass rec, twilight is so bad,_ with every intention on sending it to Seokmin before his instantaneous rage blows off somewhere in between the words and he sighs instead.

He's gonna do this three more times, he'd rather die. 

But all in the name of love and pride, he gets off his ass to make a shortlist of _Possible Minghao Facts_ on a piece of paper:

  1. _he can sparkle??? because of the diamond skin whatever that is_
  2. _he drinks blood when thirsty (open wounds / human blood can trigger bloodlust??????), blood for sustenance_
  3. _has superhuman strength and can run fast and can erase memories????_
  4. _????_



He's clearly doing this wrong. Let's rationalize. 

  1. ~~_he can sparkle??? because of the diamond skin whatever that is_~~ _absolute bullshit who comes up with this and why_
  2. _he drinks blood when thirsty (open wounds / human blood can trigger bloodlust??????), blood for sustenance?_ (He puts a little question mark next to the word _sustenance._ )
  3. _~~has superhuman strength and can run fast~~ and can erase memories???? _(This one, he declared himself. Some sort of hypnosis, maybe. Selective removal of vampire-related memories. That would make sense as it would be in his kind's best interest to stay secret. The superhuman abilities are questionable. So far, Minghao hasn't shown any indications of superhuman strength because he's made Mingyu carry all of his groceries, move his furniture around his apartment and how do you even tell your boyfriend to run just because you wanna see something?)
  4. _???_



Come to think of it, besides the fangs and the eyes, Minghao hasn't done anything remotely _vampire-y_ since they started dating. None at all. Was he actively trying to hide that about him because he thought it's going to scare Mingyu off? Does he secretly run off in the middle of the night and kill off people for blood? Or animals, if he's vegan? How does that work _anyway?_ Does Mingyu have to hunt deers for him as a treat? Offer him dead rats as tribute? Why isn't he spooked with silvers, garlic, and fire? 

Mingyu never thought dating a vampire would mean being more bothered about the fact his supposed vampire boyfriend isn't being outwardly _vampire-y_ in front of him. 

When he feels the onset of a headache breaking from deep within his temple, he calls it a night on the list and calls Minghao on his phone. 

"Hey," Minghao's sultry voice answers after a few rings, and he suddenly feels a lot better about his efforts. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not at all." If Seokmin were here, he would've smacked him upside the head for the heart-eyes and the lazy voice. Mingyu glances at his wristwatch. "Oh shit, do you have a photoshoot right now? I forgot I'm sorry!"

Minghao's chuckles confirm it. "No, that's okay. We're about to wrap up anyway. You sound down. Want me to come over with some takeout?"

Mingyu rolls over. "Oh god, yes please."

"Such a baby." Minghao laughs. "I'll be over in twenty."

Mingyu couldn't stop grinning. "Okay."

In the next few minutes, he busies himself tidying up his already spotless space, just to kill the excruciatingly long time that is twenty minutes. Somewhere between rearranging his entire bookshelf and entire shoe rack, the craziest idea pops into his mind. Maybe it's a little cruel, maybe it's not, but he has got to know. 

It's pouring out when Minghao finally comes in with some Thai food, his leather jacket drenched and his boots heavy and wet on his doorstep. Mingyu crouches down to take them off for him and takes the rest of his boyfriend's wet clothes with him to the laundry. "Wear my clothes for now. Ah, why didn't you bring an umbrella?"

"I didn't think it was going to rain, okay! It wasn't in the forecast this morning," He calls from the down the hall, traipsing naked to Mingyu's room because his stupid boyfriend forgot to bring him fresh towels. 

By the time he's back in sweatpants and shirt, Mingyu is peeling and shaping bunny apples _("Oh apples~"_ Minghao singsongs, bouncing a little), handling an extremely sharp knife with expertise. "Because you got rained on and can't afford to be sick."

Minghao snakes an arm around his waist and kisses his ear tenderly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, sit down and eat something first. You probably didn't eat lunch too, knowing you. I mean, how hard is it to take a break for a few minutes to— _ow, fuck,"_ Mingyu hisses, and the extremely sharp knife drops with a loud _clang_ on the granite counter. Red follows suit in dainty drops from a constant stream, jelly volume sliding down the silver. 

Mingyu bit his tongue. He might've cut a lot deeper than intended. He looks up from his hand to see Minghao is already on the move, ripping some paper towels from the rack in a flurry and sliding over to wrap some around Mingyu's finger to catch the moisture. 

"Don't cry okay?" He even affords a tease and a devious smile as he wipes down the counter and the knife with serene grace. And not a sign of bloodlust being triggered anywhere in his face.

"What?" he asks when he catches Mingyu staring at him in disbelief, still hasn't moved an inch from where he's standing. Minghao has already produced a first-aid kit and is ready to sanitize Mingyu's hand. "Go wash your hand first, I'll wrap it up after." 

"Are you really a vampire? Or are you messing with me?" 

Minghao's hand pauses at the tone, meeting his eyes. It's back to its normal shade of dark brown, almost black under the kitchen lighting, a sharp contrast to the illumination. Like on the night under the cherry blossom tree, neither of them falters under the other's gaze, both held up strong by their curiosities. 

"Did you cut yourself on purpose just to bait me?"

_Oops._

Mingyu blinks and sees Minghao follow the bobbing of his adam's apple as he swallowed thickly. Minghao's eyes flutter back to his. "Do you want me to bite you, Kim Mingyu?"

"P-Pardon?"

"I said..." he snakes his hand around Mingyu's neck and pulls him down, his breath hot against his neck. "Do you want me to suck your blood, _Kim Mingyu?"_

Goosebumps bloom down Mingyu's spine, sparks of desire trekking his every vein, and he gulps until there's barely any moisture left in his throat. "Maybe?" he asks in a pathetically small voice.

Minghao's voice is a whole new level of impossibly velvet-smooth, lust enlaced in every syllable. "Do you want me to feed on you? To drain you to my fill?"

He lets his head fall on Minghao's shoulder, a silent plea but a beacon of resignment, and he bites his lips, strength slowly seeping out his legs, his hold on Minghao's waist tightening. Every fiber of his being aggressively contemplated on kneeling, which isn't something he's usually ecstatic about doing but is an instinct that has been recently awakened. 

He's ready to drop and suck Minghao's dick on his command when his boyfriend steps away from him, cutting the thick, clearly sexual air as easy as that. "I don't do that, sorry. You have the wrong vampire."

Whiplash snaps Mingyu out of his intoxicated state. "W-What?"

"I don't do the typical vampire stuff. I can't suck your blood," MInghao says cleanly, a stark contrast to all the nasty things he's breathing down Mingyu's ear a second ago. "I'm a vampire-human hybrid. I'm a blip in the system. That's why I have golden eyes instead of red."

Minghao graciously allows him a minute to absorb that. 

"Golde— _don't you have red eyes?"_ He doesn't even know why he fixates on that more than the "vampire-human hybrid" fact. 

"No, gold." Minghao shakes his head. "Did you think I have red eyes?"

Mingyu blinks. He remembers now. Cherry blossom. Fangs. _Golden eyes._ Glowing gold. He shuts his eyes hard. "God, I've stereotyped you."

Minghao laughs. "They're gold. Wanna see them?"

The moment he closes his eyes, the air stills around them, and the back of Mingyu's neck prickles with the sudden change of atmosphere. He holds his breath, attention full-on Minghao's infectious concentration. His eyes flutter sharply open, revealing lovely two bubbles of pure honey where his dark brown eyes use to sit. His pupils are reduced to two tiny slits, and in between his pink lumps of lips, pokes a set of white fangs. Mingyu could feel his pulse pumping against the surface of his skin as his eyes drift from feature to feature, taking what's laid out in front of him, vulnerable yet salient at the same time. Mingyu reaches out a hand, holding Minghao's chin subtly. He stands up, steps forward then kisses him. Gentle at first, telling him it's fine, then his tongue runs itself along the line of Minghao's sharp upper teeth, again and again, pushing upwards so they sink into tender muscles just enough to draw that little tangy, iron taste in his mouth. 

Minghao's breath hitches. Mingyu moans. 

He pulls away, soft smirk blooming on his face before he could stop himself. Minghao is looking at him a little hungrily now, a little more hungrily than he usually does. "Kim _fucking_ Mingyu, seriously."

He blinks innocently. "What?"

Minghao sucks him in again, sucks on him _hard,_ sucks on him like how he wants to be. When Minghao's done with him, he's breathless and satisfied, his lips are red and bleeding and swollen everywhere. Minghao wipes the spit and blood off his and Mingyu's lips. "You little shit."

 _"Ah!"_ Mingyu throws his head back, mouth hanging open mockingly. "Say that again, please?"

"Little shit!" Minghao giggles. "Why are you like this!"

"You're beautiful."

Minghao freezes, then looks away, the tips of his ears cherry-pink and on full display in front of him. "You're suddenly like this..."

"You're not a blip in the system, you make it sound like you're an anomaly."

"Well, biologically. I am." Minghao _boops_ his nose as if he's a silly little boy who doesn't know what he's talking about. "Born of a human mother and a newly-turned father. I was delivered normally, my mom's okay. My dad turned her after she gave birth so she would make it." 

Mingyu clasps his hand waving dismissively at the subject. "I want to know."

He does. Everything about him, no matter how strange. No matter how much it doesn't make sense. 

Minghao smiles. "There's nothing more to know. That's it. They're both in China, or Europe, or somewhere. Traveling the world like they always wanted to do. They're fine. I'm a very rare case, you see. But leaning on the unfortunate kind. I'm a pretty useless vampire. I will age, I don't have any special skills. That also makes me more human, so I don't drink blood. Sorry to disappoint."

Mingyu shakes his head. "No, you're not any less sexy. You know that, right?" Mingyu puckers his lips. "Even if you don't have to suck my blood every full moon—"

"Nope, full moons are the werewolves' thing." 

Mingyu bulges his eyes. "They're real, _too_?"

His boyfriend puts on a customer service smile. "You really like to know?"

Mingyu nods mutely, curiosity twinkling in his eyes. Minghao nods. 

_"Wow."_ Mingyu slumps his shoulders. "Huh..."

"Why do you want me to suck your blood so bad?" Minghao shakes his head. "I told you, blood doesn't appeal to me as it does to other normal vampires. I'm more human than a vampire. So your blood is like _kimchi,_ or like a condiment, you can choose to have or not in a meal." 

"But it's delicious right? I smell good?"

Minghao laughs aloud, _really loud,_ probably because he's getting concerned about the wrong things, and cups his chin, bumping their heads together. "Kim Mingyu! Ha... fine. You smell good, too. Actually, all of you around me do. But oh? _Why are you looking at me like that_ _,_ okay fine, don't give me that look. _You're especially handsome and good-smelling."_

That's kind of a bummer, actually. Mingyu would never admit this in front of his boyfriend but his fantasies really went wild after _Twilight._ Stupid books. They fill you with all kinds of fantasies. But those fangs can still do so much more—

"Ow!" Mingyu exclaims, aggressively rubbing a spot on his forehead where Minghao had flicked.

"You're drifting again. What are you thinking?"

"Nothing." _Innocent smiles, boys. Innocent smiles._ Minghao pulls Mingyu into his arms. He should probably take this as an opportunity to do the proper way of finding out things, "So, no superhuman abilities?"

"No, except for the memory-erasing thing."

Oh, that's kind of sketchy. Minghao catches onto his thoughts, "Only the vampire-related ones. The existence of vampires, and so on. Not very impressive." 

Mingyu puckers his lips. "Is that why you always let me carry all your stuff?"

Minghao pinches his biceps and wiggles his brows. "Yeah, this could use a little more workout."

He makes a face. He works out just _fine._ "You can't turn into a bat?"

"No."

"Sparkle under the sun on command?"

Minghao gives him an unimpressed look. "I found your list laying around on your desk, by the way. You know there are better vampire novels than _Twilight_ right?" 

Mingyu blushes red. "I know that."

"Yeah, sure you do." Minghao rolls his eyes at him. "There's the _Nightworld_ series for one."

"I didn't know you read books."

"Who do you think I am?" Minghao scowls at him. "What do you think I do on my day-offs? Lounge around in my robe and drink wine next to my fireplace all day?" 

Mingyu laughs. 

> **[MINGYU]  
> ** **08:10 pm**
> 
> WHY DID U SAY TWILIGHT

> **[SEOKMINNIE]  
> ** **08:13 pm**
> 
> this ungrateful ass
> 
> THAT'S WHATS POPULAR NOWADAYS????
> 
> i knew the movie was a better reference. should've bought the blu-ray instead of the books

Mingyu feels his veins popping in his head, _You told me to buy the books!_ He types instead, 

> **[MINGYU]  
> ** **08:15 pm**
> 
> NO TWILIGHT. TWILIGHT SUCKS

> **[SEOKMINNIE]  
> ** **08:16 pm**
> 
> WELL DAMN???? 

"Does Seokmin know I'm a vampire?"

Mingyu pockets his phone, putting on a pensive look on his face as he secretly slides it back into his pocket. "Hmmm, no not really. I don't want to freak him out. You should tell him yourself." 

Minghao nods. "Yeah, I should. Would he mind?"

Mingyu smiles as sweetly as he can, pecks his nose with the sweetest kiss. "I'm sure he's gonna be fine. You're his friend. He'll love you regardless." 

> **[MINGYU]  
> ** **09:12 pm**
> 
> act surprised when minghao tells u he's a vampire
> 
> like crazy surprised
> 
> and then ask him if he glows under the sunlight

> **[SEOKMINNIE]  
> ** **09:13 pm**
> 
> you are an evil piece of shit actually
> 
> ok :D

Mingyu finishes the entire _Twilight_ book series just in time for the next movie night. Which is a good thing he does, because his eyes glitter with the mischief of a newly enlightened person about to spread his knowledge to those around him, like _"You know what, you and Renesmee are actually alike?'_. Minghao had put on the entire _Twilight_ series as an attempt to spite them but ended up getting more annoyed by it than the two. 

"You just hate it when humans actually get stuff right," Mingyu says, shielding himself from Minghao's attempts at choking him. _Wow, he's stronger than this vampire,_ that's cool. " _Twilight,_ too! Of all things!"

"Meenghao," comes Seokmin's input that effectively makes him the next target. "Renesminghao! How about it?"

"I'm gonna snap your necks in half."

"With those arms? I'd really love to see you try—No! Please! No, I was kidding! _KIM MINGYU HELP! HE'S GONNA KILL ME!_ "

**Author's Note:**

> i hope u had fun as much as i did!! let me know :>


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